import
verb (used with object)
to bring in (merchandise, commodities, workers, etc.) from a foreign country for use, sale, processing, reexport, or services.
were importing
-
past progressiveof import.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Brazil they couldn’t grow wheat for a time, and before they were importing it, they were relying on cassava flour everywhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
It needed to refresh, it found trading more difficult before Covid because they were importing lots of products from Europe and trading was difficult due to economic and political uncertainty.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2023
Smith noted, for example, that some of the chemical analyses could have been interpreted as evidence that Egyptians were importing plants found in the present-day Americas.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 2023
"Those who were importing items to Afghanistan from abroad, they are asking us to provide opportunities for investing in Afghanistan and they want to invest here instead of importing from abroad," he said.
From Reuters ● Jan. 2, 2023
Germany knew that England and France were importing thousands of tons of war supplies and food from the United States.
From Germany, The Next Republic? by Carl W. (Carl William) Ackerman
